Tag: Players Championship 2024

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PGA Tour

Players Championship 2024 in numbers: Birdie records & the legendary 17

The Players Championship 2024 in retrospect. (Photos: Getty)
The Players Championship 2024 in retrospect. (Photos: Getty)

The Players Championship 2024 kept the excitement going right to the end and provided great entertainment over four days. After the tournament, records, a first for the title holder and the realization that the legendary 17th is not known for causing sweaty palms for one or two professionals for nothing. A look at the statistics of the famous island green and other relevant statistics.

Players Championship 2024: Drama on the final day and 1000 beach balls – A look at the 17

On the final day of the 2024 Players Championship, it was once again a real source of despair. On Sunday, as is usual in the final round, the flag was placed on the far right of the island green between the small front bunker and the water (136 yards/124 meters). The PGA pros obviously had their problems with this: Over the course of the final day, only four birdies fell, the lowest figure of the week. At the same time, a total of 18 balls landed in the water, more than ever before in the tournament. Nine players even had to accept a double bogey or more, including Martin Laird, who hit two shots into the water on his way to a quadruple bogey. Logically, the stroke average of 3.34 was also significantly higher than on the previous days (3.09, 3.06, 2.84). Denny McCarthy hit the best shot on the final day, missing the hole by just 1 foot 3 inches (38cm).

Beau Hossler secured a special record on the 17th: with his shot into the water on the 17th hole, the US American recorded the 1000th ball sunk in the ShotLink era (since 2003). American Chris Kirk secured a positive record in the second round. Kirk found the green safely and played his 41st consecutive round without sinking a ball in the water on hole 17. He thus drew level with Jason Dufner, who has played the most rounds without a ball in the water on hole 17 since 2003. However, Kirk’s record streak came to an end in the third round. On the moving day, the American recorded a double bogey, followed by another bogey on the final day.

Ryan Fox celebrated a special success on the 17th. The New Zealander sank an ace on the very first day – it was to remain the only hole-in-one of the 2024 Players Championship.

A total of 47 balls landed in the water on the 17th hole during the tournament.

Rory McIlroy and Sam Ryder set two birdie records at the 2024 Players Championship

At the Players Championship 2024, it was not only the island green of the 17th that set records, but also Rory McIlroy and Sam Ryder. After McIlroy set the round record with ten birdies on the first day of the tournament, Ryder went on to become a sole record holder over four days. The American recorded an impressive 27 birdies over the entire tournament, overtaking ‘Fuzzy’ Zoeller in the process. In the end, despite Ryder’s many birdies, it was ‘only’ good enough for T16 (-10).

Scottie Scheffler achieves a first with title defense and collects 4.5 million USD

A first for an anniversary: At the 50th Players Championship, Scottie Scheffler became the first player to defend his title at the prestigious tournament. On a dramatic final day, the world number one prevailed against Wyndham Clark, who tragically missed the play-off with a lip-out on the last hole. Scheffler’s tournament victory earned him 4.13 million euros (4.5 million USD). But the remaining participants can also enjoy the highest prize money on the PGA Tour.

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PGA Tour

Players Championship 2024: How the prize money of 25 million US dollars is distributed

The Players Championship celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. (Photo: Getty)
The Players Championship celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. (Photo: Getty)

As the unofficial fifth major, the Players Championship 2024 awaits us this week as a major highlight in the PGA Tour’s tournament calendar. The absolute elite of the golf world will meet at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to compete for a unique total prize fund of 25 million US dollars.

Players Championship 2024: players can expect this prize money

The PGA Tour increased the prize money for the Players Championship to 25 million US dollars last year. Just three years ago, it was USD 15 million, was raised to USD 20 million and has stood at USD 25 million since last year. This amount puts the tournament on a par with all LIV Golf events, which are also endowed with 25 million US dollars each, and overtakes the prize money of the four major tournaments, which usually have a total prize money of 20 million US dollars.

The Tee Times of the first round of the Players Championship 2024

The PGA Tour recently published an overview of the distribution of the prize money that will flow this year. The winner will receive 4.5 million US dollars. The rest of the money will be distributed among the 65 best and tied players who make the cut after two rounds. While the sole runner-up can expect over ten percent of the total prize money with 2.725 million US dollars, the other three players in the top five can also look forward to seven-figure sums – provided there are no ties with the fifth-placed player.

Beyond the prize money

In addition to the large sums of money, other lucrative prizes await the winner. He will receive 750 FedEx Cup points as well as a five-year exemption for the tournament and the guarantee of a PGA Tour card for the same period. In addition, he secures a starting place at The Sentry, where all Tour winners from the previous year meet at the beginning of the year, as well as the right to compete in all four majors over the next three years. The winner will also receive 80 official world ranking points, just 20 less than the players who win this year’s Majors.

Prizemoney Payout Players Championship 2024

Pos. Player Earnings
1Scottie Scheffler4,500,000.00
T2Brian Harman1,891,666.67
T2Xander Schauffele1,891,666.67
T2Wyndham Clark1,891,666.66
5Matt Fitzpatrick1,025,000.00
T6Si Woo Kim875,000.00
T6Hideki Matsuyama875,000.00
8Ludvig Åberg781,250.00
T9Maverick McNealy706,250.00
T9Sahith Theegala706,250.00
T11Joel Dahmen606,250.00
T11Taylor Montgomery606,250.00
T13Corey Conners489,583.34
T13Christiaan Bezuidenhout489,583.33
T13Nate Lashley489,583.33
T16Doug Ghim406,250.00
T16Sam Ryder406,250.00
T16Sepp Straka406,250.00
T19Harris English285,535.72
T19Shane Lowry285,535.72
T19Dylan Wu285,535.72
T19Kurt Kitayama285,535.71
T19Rory McIlroy285,535.71
T19Alex Noren285,535.71
T19Adam Schenk285,535.71
T26Mackenzie Hughes186,250.00
T26Chris Kirk186,250.00
T26Matt NeSmith186,250.00
T26Matti Schmid186,250.00
T26Nick Taylor186,250.00
T31Mark Hubbard152,812.50
T31Sungjae Im152,812.50
T31Ben Martin152,812.50
T31Taylor Moore152,812.50
T35Lee Hodges119,285.72
T35Denny McCarthy119,285.72
T35Jimmy Stanger119,285.72
T35Jason Day119,285.71
T35Tommy Fleetwood119,285.71
T35Brice Garnett119,285.71
T35Aaron Rai119,285.71
T42David Lipsky93,750.00
T42Grayson Murray93,750.00
T42C.T. Pan93,750.00
T45Sam Burns70,062.50
T45Austin Eckroat70,062.50
T45Tony Finau70,062.50
T45Jake Knapp70,062.50
T45Ryan Moore70,062.50
T45Collin Morikawa70,062.50
T45J.T. Poston70,062.50
T45Adam Scott70,062.50
53Andrew Putnam60,250.00
T54Zac Blair57,500.00
T54Emiliano Grillo57,500.00
T54Tom Hoge57,500.00
T54Martin Laird57,500.00
T54Min Woo Lee57,500.00
T54Francesco Molinari57,500.00
T54Sami Valimaki57,500.00
T54Cameron Young57,500.00
T62Thomas Detry55,000.00
T62Viktor Hovland55,000.00
T64Tyler Duncan53,500.00
T64Max Homa53,500.00
T64Seamus Power53,500.00
T64J.J. Spaun53,500.00
T68Patrick Cantlay51,500.00
T68Rickie Fowler51,500.00
T68Chan Kim51,500.00
T68Peter Malnati51,500.00
72Gary Woodland50,250.00
73Keith Mitchell49,750.00

Pos. Pct. Amount
1 18% $4,500,000.00
2 10.90% $2,725,000.00
3 6.90% $1,725,000.00
4 4.90% $1,225,000.00
5 4.10% $1,025,000.00
6 3.63% $906,250.00
7 3.38% $843,750.00
8 3.13% $781,250.00
9 2.93% $731,250.00
10 2.73% $681,250.00
11 2.53% $631,250.00
12 2.33% $581,250.00
13 2.13% $531,250.00
14 1.93% $481,250.00
15 1.83% $456,250.00
15 1.83% $456,250.00
16 1.73% $431,250.00
17 1.63% $406,250.00
18 1.53% $381,250.00
19 1.43% $356,250.00
20 1.33% $331,250.00
21 1.23% $306,250.00
22 1.13% $281,250.00
23 1.05% $261,250.00
24 0.97% $241,250.00
25 0.89% $221,250.00
26 0.81% $201,250.00
27 0.78% $193,750.00
28 0.75% $186,250.00
29 0.72% $178,750.00
30 0.69% $171,250.00
31 0.66% $163,750.00
32 0.63% $156,250.00
33 0.60% $148,750.00
34 0.57% $142,500.00
35 0.55% $136,250.00
36 0.52% $130,000.00
37 0.50% $123,750.00
38 0.48% $118,750.00
39 0.46% $113,750.00
40 0.44% $108,750.00
41 0.42% $103,750.00
42 0.40% $98,750.00
43 0.38% $93,750.00
44 0.36% $88,750.00
45 0.34% $83,750.00
46 0.32% $78,750.00
47 0.30% $73,750.00
48 0.28% $69,750.00
49 0.27% $66,250.00
50 0.26% $64,250.00
51 0.25% $62,750.00
52 0.25% $61,250.00
53 0.24% $60,250.00
54 0.24% $59,250.00
55 0.24% $58,750.00
56 0.23% $58,250.00
57 0.23% $57,750.00
58 0.23% $57,250.00
59 0.23% $56,750.00
60 0.23% $56,250.00
61 0.22% $55,750.00
62 0.22% $55,250.00
63 0.22% $54,750.00
64 0.22% $54,250.00
65 0.22% $53,750.00
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Watch: PGA Tour highlights from round 3 of the The Players Championship

day 3 highlights Players Championship 2024
See the highlights of round 3 at The Players Championship. (Photo: Getty)

The PGA Tour’s marquee event, THE PLAYERS Championship is currently underway at the TPC Sawgrass (THE PLAYERS Stadium Course) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA. This tournament boasts an impressive prize pot of $25,000,000. As focus shifts to Round 4, a look at the top of the leaderboard presents an exciting mix.

Xander Schauffele from the USA managed to keep his lead with a total score of -17. Following closely behind him is his compatriot Wyndham Clark with a total score of -16. The third position is held by another American, Brian Harman, with a total score of -15. Sharing the fourth position are USA’s Maverick McNealy and England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, both having a total score of -13.

Round 3’s PGA Tour highlights notably include the best daily round scores from three players. Brian Harman exhibited an impressive performance with a daily score of -8 to put himself in third place. Xander Schauffele’s daily score of -7 allowed him to maintain his leading position. Finally, Sam Burns put forth a commendable effort with a daily score of -7 as well.

The final round of THE PLAYERS Championship promises a thrilling competition as each player is vying to secure a higher place on the leaderboard. Stay tuned for more PGA Tour highlights and a recap of the tournament’s defining moments. The provided video offers a compilation of the highlights from round three. With round 4 on the horizon, anticipation builds toward the tournament’s conclusion and the crowning of the champion. Remember, where these players stand today could very well change by the end of the Championship. It’s anyone’s game.

Show THE PLAYERS Championship Leaderboard

The Players Championship: The PGA Tour round 3 highlights

About the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the largest American professional golf tour. There are 36 tournaments on the tour’s schedule this season. The tournaments mainly take place in the USA, but there are also some international venues over the course of the season. The signature events introduced in 2023 offer higher prize money and a smaller field of participants. There will be a total of eight of these events in the 2024 season. The four Majors and the Players Championship are also part of the PGA Tour. At the end of the tours season, the 70 best players in the FedEx Cup season rankings will play in a three-tournament play-off for overall tour victory and an extra 18 million dollars in prize money.

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PGA Tour

The 17 of the Players Championship 2024: Record man Hossler completes 1000

Players Championship 2024: The view of the legendary hole 17 in the morning sun. (Photo: Getty)
Players Championship 2024: The view of the legendary hole 17 in the morning sun. (Photo: Getty)

Beau Hossler would certainly like to do without this entry in the history books: In his second round of the 2024 Players Championship, the American sank the 1000th ball in the water of the island green on the legendary 17th hole. At least Hossler is not alone with his second-round failure. We take a look at the statistics for the second day on the 17th hole.

Players Championship 2024: Record man Hossler and 13 balls sunk

Beau Hossler had a bad day in the second round of the Players Championship 2024. With his shot into the water on hole 17, the American recorded the 1000th ball sunk in the ShotLink era (since 2003). The direction of the shot actually looked very good, but the length proved to be his undoing, causing the ball to miss the target. Not only did Hossler inadvertently write himself into the tournament’s history books with this shot, he also added a bogey to the scorecard. With a round of 74, Hossler missed the cut (+1).

However, it wasn’t just Beau Hossler who had to contend with the legendary island green. After ten balls landed in the water on the 17th in the first round, 13 more followed the path into the cool water on day two. Chesson Hadley came closest to the hole on the 137-yards shot: 1 foot 8 inches. Without a hole-in-one like Ryan Fox’s the day before, the average score was 3.06 strokes – a slight improvement on the previous day. In total, the golfers recorded 28 birdies, 90 pars, 17 bogeys and three double bogeys. Four players even shot above that. US player Chris Kirk was able to secure a small positive record: Kirk found the green safely and played his 41st consecutive round without sinking a ball in the water on hole 17. He thus drew level with Jason Dufner, who has played the most rounds without a ball in the water on hole 17 since 2003.

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PGA Tour

Scheffler on the brink of withdrawing: “Didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue playing”

Scottie Scheffler was on the verge of pulling out of the tournament due to neck problems. (Photo: Getty)
Scottie Scheffler was on the verge of pulling out of the tournament due to neck problems. (Photo: Getty)

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler struggled with severe muscular discomfort in his neck on the second day of the Players Championship 2024, which is why the American even had to be massaged on the course. The neck problems restricted Scheffler so much that he even considered withdrawing from the tournament, as the world number one revealed after the round.

Players Championship 2024: Scottie Scheffler struggles with neck problems

After his second round, Scottie Scheffler was immediately asked about his neck problems, which were obviously causing the defending champion problems. According to Scheffler, the pain started on the second hole: “Yeah, I hit a shot on my second hole today and I felt a little something in my neck, and then I tried to hit my tee shot on 12, and that’s when I could barely get the club back. So I got some treatment, maybe it loosened up a tiny bit, but most of the day I was pretty much laboring to get the club somehow away from me.” However, the US-American did not feel any pain in the run-up to the Players Championship.

Looking back to the second round: “Yeah, I did what I could to kind of stay in the tournament today, and hopefully it’ll loosen up and then I’ll be able to make somewhat normal swings tomorrow.” The plan is to get treatment and hope for an improvement.

Despite the severe discomfort, Scottie Scheffler played a good round of 69 and is still hot on the heels of leader Wyndham Clark (-14) thanks to his 67 on the first day and is six shots behind. The fact that the leaderboard looks so positive for Scheffler is not a matter of course for the 27-year-old. The defending champion even feared he had to withdraw from the tournament: “Yeah, like I said, I did enough I felt like today to keep myself somewhat in the tournament, and so that’s really all I could ask for. The way I was getting around the course, the way my neck was feeling, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue playing, so yeah, good fight out there.”

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PGA Tour

Watch: McIlroy’s incredible par save at The Players Championship

Rory McIlroy impressed on the seventh hole with an outstanding par save. (Photo: Getty)
Rory McIlroy impressed on the seventh hole with an outstanding par save. (Photo: Getty)

After Rory McIlroy had a great day in the first round of The Players Championship 2024, things went anything but well for the Northern Irishman on the second day. With a poor round of 73, McIlroy dropped back to T14 and has his incredible par save to thank for the fact that the gap to leader Wyndham Clark is not even wider.

Players Championship 2024: McIlroy’s stunning par save on video

The start of the second round at The Players Championship 2024 was an up-and-down affair for Rory McIlroy. The Northern Irishman recorded three birdies and three bogeys on the first six holes before his first par of the day followed on the seventh hole. Of course, McIlroy accomplished this in inimitable style. Rory McIlroy’s tee shot found the pine straw. Still, he would go on to save par.

Despite this outstanding shot, Rory McIlroy cannot be satisfied with his second round. The 34-year-old went straight to the range after his round of 73.

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PGA Tour

Watch: PGA Tour highlights from round 2 of the THE PLAYERS Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 14: Wyndham Clark of the United States plays his shot from the 18th tee during the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 14, 2024 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The PGA Tour is currently hosting THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass, situated in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The tournament’s par-setting Players Stadium Course is renowned for its challenging greens.

The Players 2024: Wyndham Clark dominates, McIlroy struggles

As Round 2 unfurls, the leaderboard displays a competitive stance among the tour’s elite golfers. Leading the pack is Wyndham Clark of the United States with a total score of -14. He holds a firm grip on the top spot, four strokes ahead of his nearest competitors Xander Schauffele and Nick Taylor, both tied at the second position with a total score of -10.

Positioned at T4 are England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and the USA’s Maverick McNealy, their total scores tallied at -9. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler struggled with muscular problems in his neck during the second round, but still finds himself in T6 (-8) after a round of 69. Rory McIlroy got off to a weak start after his great start to the tournament and is T14 (-6) after a round of 73.

These PGA Tour Highlights from Round 2 have set the stage for an exciting finish, with a prize pot of $25,000,000 on the line. Do stay tuned for THE PLAYERS Championship Highlights for a curated view of the day’s events. As the fourth and final round approaches, the battle is intensifying for that famed spot of tournament champion. The thrill of the PGA Tour continues.

show THE PLAYERS Championship Leaderboard

THE PLAYERS Championship: The PGA Tour round 2 highlights

About the PGA Tour

The PGA Tour is the largest American professional golf tour. There are 36 tournaments on the tour’s schedule this season. The tournaments mainly take place in the USA, but there are also some international venues over the course of the season. The signature events introduced in 2023 offer higher prize money and a smaller field of participants. There will be a total of eight of these events in the 2024 season. The four Majors and the Players Championship are also part of the PGA Tour. At the end of the tours season, the 70 best players in the FedEx Cup season rankings will play in a three-tournament play-off for overall tour victory and an extra 18 million dollars in prize money.

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PGA Tour

The 17 of the Players Championship 2024: This is how many balls went down in round 1

The calm before the storm: The 17 in the morning sun. (Photo: Getty)
The calm before the storm: The 17 in the morning sun. (Photo: Getty)

The course at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach is not the favorite course of many golf pros for nothing. The course impresses with its challenging design and first-class conditions. The highlight of the course is hole 17, a par-3 where the ball has to be hit over a large pond directly onto the island green. The slightest mistake is severely punished: year after year, numerous balls go astray at the Players Championship, as even the pros miss the green from time to time.

Live blog of the Players Championship 2024

Ten balls disappeared into the water

About 127 yards had to be overcome in round 1 of the Players Championship 2024. The flag was stuck on the front edge of the green, which made the approach even more difficult. Out of 138 players who passed the hole before the interruption due to darkness on the first day, ten players sank their ball in the water. It was particularly annoying for Sam Ryder, whose ball missed the hole by a hair’s breadth before rolling into the water (double bogey). Tom Kim, who was playing with a fever of over 39 degrees and gave up shortly afterwards, also sank his ball in the water (triple bogey).

Nevertheless, there was great jubilation on the par-3. 23 players mastered the hole with a birdie, but were eclipsed by Ryan Fox. Fox achieved what most golfers dream of: he holed out for a hole-in-one. With just the right amount of backspin, his ball rolled straight into the hole after landing. In combination with another eagle, which he scored on the 16th, Fox is the first player in the history of the tournament to achieve two double stroke wins in a row.

In addition to the ace and the 23 birdies, there were a total of 86 pars, 20 bogeys, seven double bogeys and Tom Kim’s triple bogey. This results in an average score of 3.087, which is slightly higher than last year’s 3.03. Last year, almost twice as many balls landed in the water: a total of 16.

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PGA Tour

Players Championship 2024: Hovland and Spieth Question Rory McIlory’s Drop

Discussions about Rory McIlroy's drop at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Twitter.com/@KyleporterCBS)
Discussions about Rory McIlroy's drop at the Players Championship 2024. (Photo: Twitter.com/@KyleporterCBS)

Rory McIlroy hit his ball into the water twice in the first round of the Players Championship 2024. On hole 7, this resulted in a discussion with his flight partners Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland. The discussion centred on the question of whether the ball crossed the red line after crossing the penalty area or whether it bounced and rolled into the water before crossing the line. Another part of the discussion centred on where the ball may have crossed the line.

Players Championship 2024: Discussions about Rory McIlroy’s drop

The PGA Tour captured the entire discussion on video:

Rory McIlroy was pretty sure of his drop on the hole side of the penalty area when Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth questioned whether the ball had really crossed the red line. If it hadn’t, McIlroy would have had to hit again from the tee. According to Spieth, the TV crew were of the opinion that the ball had “one hundred per cent” not crossed the line. However, he himself had not seen where the ball had landed. Hovland couldn’t say for sure either and called the situation “very speculative”. McIlroy, meanwhile, emphasised that he was convinced the ball had crossed the line, he just wasn’t sure exactly where.

A rules official was called in to help and the camera footage was consulted. However, it was concluded that the television images did not provide clear evidence and the decision would therefore have to be made based on the players’ judgement. It was agreed that the ball had landed on land.

McIlroy, to be on the safe side, chose a spot to drop that was on the line a few metres back from where he estimated the ball had crossed the red line. The rules official made sure that Spieth and Hovland were not against the location of the drop, which they both confirmed, even if they still didn’t seem entirely convinced that the ball had actually crossed the line. Golf journalist Dan Rapaport, who accompanied the group, described the atmosphere as “very strange”.

McIlroy took the shot and ended up making double bogey on that hole.

Players Championship 2024: Live Blog

Rory McIlroy: “I started to doubt myself a little bit”

After the round, McIlroy said the following about the situation to the media:
“I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing. I mean, I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. I was adamant. But I think, again, he was just trying to make sure that I was going to do the right thing.”

“If anything, I was being conservative with it. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field, as well. I wouldn’t say it was needless. I think he was just trying to make sure that what happened was the right thing.”

“I guess I started to doubt myself a little bit. I was like, okay, did I actually see what I thought I saw. But I mean, as long as — I was comfortable, and I was just making sure that Jordan and Viktor were comfortable, too.”

“It is a bit of a blind spot. I think the best view was from the tee, which was the view that we had.”

“I was adamant that I saw it bounce above the red line, but then when someone comes in and says, well, someone thought that it didn’t. Then you’re like — it just puts some doubt in your mind. Again, it’s up to you to be comfortable enough with your decision that you did see what you saw, I guess.”

“It was disappointing not to get that up-and-down on 7, but that’s probably why I give it a little mini-fist pump on 9 to feel like I got one of those shots back. You have to reset and you have to try to get back into the zone that you were in for the 15 previous holes.”

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PGA Tour

PGA Tour: Who wins the Players Championship 2024?

Players Championship 2024: Who will win at TPC Sawgrass? (Images: Getty)
Players Championship 2024: Who will win at TPC Sawgrass? (Images: Getty)

Every year, golf fans eagerly anticipate the Players Championship of the PGA Tour with great expectations. Over the weekend, players compete at The Players Stadium Course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida for a total prize money of $25 million. In anticipation of the tournament, several questions arise: Can Scottie Scheffler defend his title? Which other players have good chances of success? Let’s take a look at the players who are considered the biggest favorites.

Players Championship 2024: Scottie Scheffler is the clear favorite

Scottie Scheffler is certainly the name that comes to mind when it comes to winning the PGA Tour’s flagship tournament. The world number one is in good form and is performing consistently well, as is to be expected given his top position in the World Golf Ranking, which he has held since May last year. Last weekend, he fuelled his confidence with a comfortable victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, five strokes ahead of second-placed Wyndham Clark. Scheffler also won last year’s Players Championship 2023 by five strokes, so not only is he in excellent form, but he certainly has fond memories of last year’s event.

Always a contender: Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy, who incidentally helped Scottie Scheffler to victory last weekend with a tip to change putters, is always good for a win at major tournaments. While the Northern Irishman achieved three top 25 finishes in four events on the PGA Tour in 2024, he has already claimed a victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour and narrowly missed out on a second success at the Dubai Invitational. Although McIlroy missed the cut at last year’s Players Championship, the world number two is certainly capable of triumphing this year.

In good form: Wyndham Clark

A victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a second-place fA victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a second place last weekend shows that Wyndham Clark is currently in good form. The world number five is definitely a hot candidate for the title. However, he would have to improve on last year’s performance, where he finished tied 27th at the Players Championship.

Under the radar: Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland

Japanese Hideki Matsuyama and Norwegian Viktor Hovland can be considered more of a “dark horse” category. The situations of the two could hardly be more different. Matsuyama is currently in good form and has already secured a victory in 2024 at the Genesis Invitational. On the other hand, Hovland has not yet found his form from 2023 this year. His best finish is a tied 19th place at the Genesis Invitational. However, their strong performances from last year should give both players confidence. Viktor Hovland finished third at the Players Championship 2023, while Matsuyama finished fifth. Especially for Hovland, the upcoming weekend would be a good time to regain his old form.

European hopes: Ludvig Aberg and Matthieu Pavon

Frenchman Matthieu Pavon impressed at the Farmers Insurance Open with his first tournament win on the PGA Tour after securing a tour card via the DP World Tour and travelling on the PGA Tour as a rookie. Ludvig Aberg is also playing his first full season after a rocket start to his professional career in 2023 and has already recorded two top-10 finishes in 2024. Both players are young talents who did not play in the Players Championship last year and will have the opportunity to prove themselves on the PGA Tour’s biggest stage this week.